13 Free Resources for Launching

There’s nothing wrong with launching a business on the cheap. In fact, it’s often the only way you can afford to do it. For those of us not endowed with vast resources of wealth, big financial backers, or huge bank loans, here’s your guide to some of the best free resources that will help you launch your dream business in record time.

1. Business Name – TheNameApp.com Even the most serial-like entrepreneurs need a little help with name generating. It’s especially important in today’s domain-name/ claim culture. How can you find a unique name that hasn’t been claimed yet? There’s an app for that. The Name App makes it easy to find a biz name that hasn’t been “dot-commed” by someone else in Silicon Valley or elsewhere.

2. Website Template -HTML5up.com If there’s one thing that every new business needs its a website. But not just any website. You need a fully responsive website that is built on intelligent HTML5 + CSS3, is super customizable & free? With HTML5Up, it’s possible. These site templates are beautiful, flawless, and, yep, they’re free.

3. Ebooks — Liber.io Do you plan to create down-loadable resources: eBooks, or ePub files? Okay, you need this. Integrating with Google Drive, DropBox, OneDrive, GitHub, etc , Liber.io will create a book (including formatting, fonts, images, etc.) into eBook format. You can then push your book right to Amazon, Google Play, iBooks. See you on the other side of being a famous author.

4. Editorial Calendar — WordPress.org Editorial calendars can be difficult to manage and insanely inconvenient. Someone created a solution. Welcome to the Plugin that does it all for you. This Editorial Calendar plugin of WordPress, allows for drag &drop functionality of your drafts, posts, ideas, & deadlines. This is blogging done right.

5. Popular Content Analyzer – BuzzSumo.com is my favorite way to figure out what’s hot and trending as far as content is concerned. Simply type in your blog, topic, or personality of choices, and presto — instant social-sharing metrics. This is a powerful tool for gaining article ideas, discovering trending topics, & spying on the competition.

6. Image Editing –Canva.com I like it when I can edit images quickly, easily, simply, and without the hassle of having to look up my credit card number. Enter Canva, which makes your graphic design dreams come true.

7. Email subscribers – HelloBar.com Digital marketing depends, in part, on how awesome your Email list is. Grow a big one with HelloBar. The whole point of HelloBar is to get subscribers. HelloBar places a bar at the top of your website that is impossible to miss and wonderfully compelling. Many entrepreneurs & startups have found it be amazingly successful.

8. Sending Emails — MailChimp.com Someday, you’re going to have to come up with some cash to spend on Email Marketing. In the meantime, you can depend on MailChimp for service — for free. MC gives you up to 2,000 subscribers & 12,000 emails without having to break open your wallet.

9. iOS Design — Tethr Get ready to design the world’s most awesome App. Even though you may rake in millions of dollars from a successful App, you don’t have to spend a cent on designing it. Tethr allows you to simply & swiftly assemble an impressive display of Photoshop & Sketch templates for your iOS genius.

10. Customer Relationship Manager (CRM) — Insightly.com It doesn’t matter how uncorporate, “flat,” agile, or innovative your new company is going to be. You need a CRM. This CRM is worth using, not only because it’s free, but because it’s simple & powerful. The free version provides more than enough for any startup to get up & going — 2,500 records, 200 MB of storage, 40 custom fields, & 3 users. You, your co-founder, and your IT wizard will all be churning out customer management wizardry in a matter of minutes.

11. Logo — SquareSpace.com Need a logo real quick? Not a problem. SquareSpace, also a CMS, can make one for you. Their approach is stark & simplistic – which isnt a problem considering contemporary design trends. When I made a logo, it took all of two minutes. A high-res logo costs $10, but the low-res logo is “free”.

12. Cloud Storage — Hive.im You’re going to need somewhere to store your stuff. And if you’re as much of a data hog as some people, you’re going to need a lot. Welcome to your solution: Hive. According to their messaging, Hive is the first “free” unlimited cloud service in the world. Hive handles all your docs, infinite photos, massive music collections & huge video libraries with ease. Upload from your device or paste a web link and Hive will grab the file for you.

13. Invoicing — Free-Invoice-Generator.com Creating invoices is a tedious & time-consuming task. Getting money, on the other hand, is an essential & enjoyable necessity. Cut the time down to half and the hassle down to zero with a free & powerful invoice creator. Free-Invoice-Generator makes it simple to pop in a few figures, and “Download your invoice.” Kaching! Saves time and makes your Cash Flow go !!!

Conclusion. All the world’s free resources don’t matter a bit unless you use the most valuable free resource of all — your mind. Your business needs one thing above all else. It needs you to think, to strategize, to plan, & to create success. These “free” Resources will help you do that.

Comments: What are your favorite Startup resources? Did we forgot any?